MTA looks beyond NYPA

MTA LOOKS BEYOND NYPA — POLITICO’s Marie J. French: The New York Power Authority has approved a new 10-year agreement to supply energy to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, but the contract opens the door for the MTA to seek a new supplier for some of its electric needs. NYPA has provided electricity to the MTA since 1976. The authority leverages its ownership of large hydroelectric dams upstate, fossil fuel plants downstate and expertise in purchasing electricity on the open market to provide low-cost power to public customers, including those in New York City. The MTA has been closely scrutinizing the costs of buying power from NYPA, and did not sign a new contract in December when nine other New York City public customers, including the city itself, did. The agreement that NYPA approved on Tuesday would allow the MTA to contract with a new company for its electricity needs. The transportation agency already has qualified private energy service companies, or ESCOs, to competitively bid to supply the MTA's electric needs. The MTA board in late July approved five firms to potentially bid to provide electricity services. ‘The intent is to have other companies that we could do competitive procurements with where it is believed that we might benefit from better pricing,’ said David Ross, the MTA's chief procurement officer at an MTA finance committee meeting.” Read more here.

— OFFSHORE WIND STUDY: The NYPA board heard about plans for an offshore wind study, the first step in NYPA's "moonshot" investment in offshore wind. The authority is pursuing investments in offshore wind, electric vehicles and storage and demand response to support Gov. Andrew Cuomo's renewable energy and emissions reduction goals. The study will take four weeks and focus on a range of issues associated with getting offshore wind to shore, including the physical interconnection to the grid, ownership models, financing challenges and whether an offshore grid to connect multiple projects is preferable to individual connections for projects. Read more here.

NATIONAL FUEL PIPELINE REVIVED — by Marie: Federal regulators have overruled the state Department of Environmental Conservation's decision to block a $450 million natural gas pipeline from Pennsylvania into western New York, setting up further legal battles. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's decision, announced Monday, highlights ongoing tension between Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration and the federal government over the construction of new pipelines. It is the second time FERC has ruled that the state was not quick enough in making a decision on water permits for a federally approved pipeline, thus voiding the state's authority under the Clean Water Act. FERC ruled that National Fuel's 97-mile Northern Access pipeline project, which Cuomo's administration blocked in 2017, could move forward. The commission also rejected several challenges from landowners and environmental groups over the original approval of the pipeline. Read more here.

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GREENS HIT NUKE BAILOUT — Journal News’ Thomas Zambito: “Dozens of environmental groups are urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reconsider the multi-billion dollar bailout of three upstate nuclear power plants by giving green-friendly ratepayers a break in their monthly electric bills. The groups, which include Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, joined town officials, faith groups and local businesses in pushing Cuomo to let ratepayers opt out of the $2-a-month surcharge for upstate nuclear power plants in exchange for agreeing to use renewables for all their energy needs.” Read more here.

— The issue of customers who want 100 percent renewable products, without nuclear, has not been addressed despite being mentioned in the PSC’s August 2016 Clean Energy Standard order.

AROUND NEW YORK:

— The city of Newburgh has filed a promised lawsuit against the state and federal government over PFOS contamination in its drinking water supply.

— Council Member Antonio Reynoso says that passing the waste equity bill is “small potatoes” and the real war is still to come over waste franchising.

— ICYMI: New York American Water said a preliminary review of high-bill complaints from South Shore customers shows that increased summer usage coupled with a recently instituted "conservation rate" were primarily at fault.

— CHARTER WATCH: Some local officials in the North Country are worried about what Charter’s eviction from the state means for expanding broadband service, and information is limited. Anthony Brindisi, who is challenging Rep. Claudia Tenney in a Congressional race, has accused Charter of censoring a political ad that attacked the cable company.

— Environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council and New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, have backed the City Council’s proposal to place a cap on the number of for-hire vehicles, like Uber and Lyft.

CALI STRIKES BACK — The New York Times’ Hiroko Tabuchi: “California went on the offensive Tuesday against the Trump administration’s plan to weaken fuel-efficiency rules for cars, laying out a scathing rebuttal that the state’s clean-air regulator said would shape the battle with Washington in the coming months and years.” Read more here.

EPA BRINGS BACK ASBESTOS — The Architects Newspaper’s Sydney Franklin: “One of the most dangerous construction-related carcinogens is now legally allowed back into U.S. manufacturing under a new rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).” Read more here.

ELON, SHOW ME THE MONEY — Bloomberg’s Dana Hull and Dinesh Nair: “Elon Musk said he’s considering taking Tesla Inc. private in a radical step that would ease pressure on the money-losing automaker. The announcement, made via Twitter, stunned investors and sent Tesla’s stock price soaring as much as 8.5 percent before trading was halted.” Read more here.

— In a statement, Musk later said that “a final decision has not yet been made.”

— Musk’s tweet came after the Financial Times reported that Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund had acquired a 5 percent stake in Tesla. Tesla shares were halted Tuesday afternoon following the tweet.

STORAGE TARGET BOOM — UtilityDive’s Peter Maloney: “Energy storage has been taking root across the country, but coastal states, such as California, Massachusetts and Oregon, have taken the lead in implementing related policies. That could change as states such as Colorado and Nevada move closer to potentially ambitious policies to support energy storage.” Read more here.

CALI WILDFIRE: LARGEST IN STATE HISTORY — The New York Times’ Jennifer Medina and Sarah Mervosh: “The largest wildfire in California’s history continued to rage Tuesday, after steadily growing for nearly two weeks. Unprecedented in scope, the Northern California fire has already consumed roughly 980 square miles and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes.” Read more here.

11 MONTHS LATER... — The Hill’s Emily Birnbaum: “The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) announced that power has been restored to most of the island's residents, eleven months after Hurricane Maria devastated its power grid. Only .002 percent of its customers, or 25 people, remain without power, according to a tweet on Monday from PREPA.” Read more here.

BEACH BIRDS UNDER THREAT — The New York Times’ Christina Caron: “Beachgoers in Alabama who descended on the breeding ground of a threatened seabird species this summer scared adults away from their nests and used the eggs to decorate the sand, most likely killing hundreds of chicks, wildlife experts say.” Read more here.

GERMAN COAL PLAN UNDER THE RADAR — Greentech Media’s Jason Deign: “The workings of an obscure German commission could be ‘the biggest story that no one is talking about’ in energy, according to one expert. ... The German coal commission includes around 30 members whose job is to help Germany give up coal generation without causing strife for an industry that provides significant levels of employment in the country.” Read more here.

About The Author : Marie J. French

Marie J. French covers energy and the environment for POLITICO New York in Albany. She has covered state government in New York for the Albany Business Review and previously wrote about business and labor issues while covering state government in Missouri for the Associated Press and St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

A graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, Marie French has also worked for Bloomberg News and the Orange County Register.

About The Author : Danielle Muoio

Danielle Muoio is the energy and environment beat reporter for Politico in New York and New Jersey. Before joining Politico, Muoio was a Tesla beat reporter for Business Insider, covering innovations in transportation and energy. Her work has been syndicated by Slate, Yahoo News, MSN, and the Boston Globe, and she previously interned at Bloomberg and Bloomberg Businessweek. She graduated in 2015 from Duke University, where she was editor in chief of the student paper.